THE great Christmas shopping bonanza came to York this weekend, as crowds of bargain-hunters packed into the city centre.

Saturday was particularly busy, not only on the main shopping streets but also on York's roads, as shoppers came into the city by the coachload, as well as in their cars.

City of York Council closed the St George's car park to cars in order to provide space for visiting coaches, with more than 80 arriving between 10am and 1pm on Saturday.

York Tourism Bureau chief executive Gillian Cruddas said it had been a "good weekend" for the city.

"It was busier than last year. We certainly 'filled-out' rooms in York very quickly, but we also know that hotels in Harrogate were extremely busy as a result of St Nicholas Fayre."

York stores reported brisk trading on what was regarded as the first festive shopping weekend, at the end of an already busy few days during the traditional St Nicholas Fayre. Brian Littlejohn, store manager of Marks & Spencer, said sales had exceeded expectations. "It was terrific. Saturday in particular was fantastic and we were delighted with the four days," he said.

The shopping surge came despite concerns nationally there could be a slow start to the annual bonanza, which led many traders to offer big incentives to canny shoppers looking to snap up an early bargain. Some of the discounts available included:

25 per cent off everything in Etam, all weekend

A free £5 WH Smith voucher when you spent £30 in the store Friday to Sunday

More than £150 off pay-as-you-go mobile phones in Woolworths

Up to 50 per cent off any items in Allders' Christmas Spectacular.

Joanne Seville visited York from Chester on a coach trip to buy craft items from St Nicholas Fayre. "It is busier than last year, but the weather was bad then," she said.

Donna Golby, of Wakefield, another shopper who had come to the city on a coach trip, said: "There are not enough places to sit down to eat and no public toilets. We had to queue in Marks & Spencer for the loo. I would definitely come back again though."

Customers were also queuing down the staircase in Browns department store, in Davygate, to use their public toilets. The store's customer service manager, Debbie Hurworth, said that trading seemed to be going pretty well, with just a few selected offers available.

"We always get a lot of people from out of town at this time of year because of the fayre. The restaurant and the tea rooms have been busy since 9am on Saturday."

Updated: 10:54 Monday, November 29, 2004